At the red rocks of the Babás-szerkövek

Itinerary

• We start our route from the Hetvehely railway stop heading southeast following the P◼ marker.
• On the western side of Jakab Hill, we change markers and climb to the Babás-szerkövek on the P▲ marker.
• Finally, following our marker, we descend to Patacs, our route's final stop.

Detailed route description

Behind the Mining Shafts

Getting off the train, we spot the P◼ marker, which we follow as we turn left under the railway bridge. About a hundred meters from the road, we turn left onto a forestry asphalt road, passing the buildings of a farm and already heading through the Sás Valley. Soon we pass the former "Gypsy Settlement Memorial" and then to the right, a sign invites us to the nearby flowing Gypsy Spring, where we can fill our water bottles. Continuing, our path runs through fresh meadows and forests in the ditch of the Sás Valley stream. We pass by the Forest House forest school, where it is worth exploring the treetop educational trail wooden structure completed in 2016. From the picturesque meadow and forest school, many circular trail routes start to discover the surrounding area.

Our marker leads us long through the valley; after two kilometers of walking, we enter the forest and begin a steep ascent of the hillside. After one and a half kilometers through the wild forest, we reach a road, turning right. After a few minutes’ walk, we arrive at the former uranium mine's air shaft IV and the small bell tower of Petőczpuszta nearby. The uranium ore accumulated in lenticular deposits in the Permian red sandstone was present in low concentration; nevertheless, mining lasted from the 1950s to the early 2000s. The nearby Petőcz mine extended to depths of over 1100 meters (a mining railway wound at 700 meters depth), and in the deepest passages, the rock temperature reached 53° Celsius.

Continuing 200 meters we reach a crossroads of roads, crossed by the P marker coming from Bükkösd towards Éger Valley. We leave the asphalt heading south and continue in the forest. In the pleasant forest environment, on a steadily climbing path, reddish sandstone formations indicate we are already on the western part of Jakab Hill. Reaching the saddle, we leave the P◼ marker heading towards Kővágószőlős and turn onto the P▲ marker turning left, following the winding path on the hillside.

The Babás-szerkövek

After about 800 meters’ walk, we step onto the rocky southwestern slope of Jakab Hill, where we only need a few steps off our path to walk to the Jubilee Cross. Over the next few hundred meters, we can explore the impressive rocks of the Babás-szerkövek. From the rock ridge of the formations and from the Jubilee Cross, there is a wonderful view over the Dráva Plain and the houses of Kővágószőlős lying below our feet. When stepping onto the rocks, be careful as a terrifying depth yawns beneath us – we are essentially on the rocky ridge carrying the Babás-szerkövek. The cross was erected in 1934 “In memory of the 1900-year jubilee of our redemption.”

Further ahead, rounded “head-heavy” rock shapes rise on the surface. The stone mushrooms' pebble material was carried down to lower areas of the former terrain on the shoreline by temporary water flows formed suddenly during heavy rains on a warm, dry climate. This unsorted deposit was cemented into conglomerate by silicic acid solutions and, as the less resistant neighboring rocks wore away, the rocks stood out from their environment. Later shaping was done by wind abrasion, water polishing, and frost shattering: harder parts are bulkier, softer ones thinned faster due to erosion, creating today’s spectacular shapes. From the small plateaus, there is a great view towards the Dráva Plain, the Villány Hills, and in clear weather, the long chain of Papuk in Croatia also appears.

According to legend, two rich families lived at the foot of Jakab Hill in old Cserkút. They always competed with each other in everything. Once an unknown beggar came to them. Both places abused and eventually drove him away, so the beggar cursed them, “Turn to stone when you want to be happiest.” Each family had a daughter. The daughters married at the same time. However, the wedding party of one house arrived earlier this time because they first reached the Pauline monastery on Jakab Hill. They were already returning from the wedding when the others were just coming up. They met exactly where the path above the ravines was narrowest. Neither wanted to give way to the other. The angry masters spoke simultaneously: “We’d rather turn to stone than make way!” At that moment, the beggar’s curse was fulfilled, and the whole wedding party along with their carriages and horses turned to stone. They can still be seen arranged above Kővágószőlős on the side of Jakab Hill.

On the panoramic contour trail

Leaving the last red sandstone formation behind us, heading north on the K+ marker, we can take a short but very steep detour to the nearby abandoned Sasfészek quarry, whose climbable top with hands and feet again reveals the panorama. Setting off, soon we cross the K▲ marker heading to Cserkút, then follow our guide on the winding wild path on the hillside. In this section, we climb or crawl through several fallen tree trunks. Our exciting adventure continues on the “Panorama Road” path winding on the southern side of Jakab Hill. The path roughly maintains the contour line, partly passing through a pleasant pine forest with very beautiful views at some points.

After about two kilometers of winding, we meet the Z marker heading from Jakab Hill towards Éger Valley. From the junction, we go right and descend very steeply through the pleasant oak woods of Bika Hill. After describing a large left curve, we enter Süle Valley, which leads us to Patacs. In the suburban district of Pécs, we find the Saint Martin Church, near which – Benczúr Gyula street – is the local bus stop.